Fabric seam and method and means for making the same



Aug. 28, 1934. J. E. DAKIN El AL FABRIC SEAM AND METHOD AND MEANS FOR MAKING THEv SAIE Filed June 29, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS JOHN E. DAKIN 1 WALTER L. BOLENS BY mam ATTORNEYS 8,1934. 1E. DAKIN m1. 1,972,039

FABRIC SEAM AND METHOD AND MEANS FOR MAKING THE SAME Filed June 29, 1935 sheets-sheet 2 INVENTORS JOHN E. DAKIN WALTER L. BOLENS BY THEIR ATTORNEYS 3 V J. E. DAKIN ET AL 7 ,039

FABRIC SEAM AND METHOD AND MEANS FOR MAKING THE SAME Filed June 29, 1933 s Sheets-Shee t s INVENTORS JOHN E. DAKIN WALTER L. BOLENS BY THEIR ATTORNEYS Patented Aug. 28, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT! OFFIC FABRIC SEAM AND' METHOD AND MEANS FOR, MAKING THE SAME This invention relates to knitted fabric articles, and more particularly to the means by which the fabric portions of an article are joined together and it is an object of this invention to provide an improved seam of neat appearance and small bulk where adjacent parts of a stocking or other knitted article are joined together. It is also an object of this invention to provide a simple and eflicient method of forming the im- 1 proved seam and an improved device for use in forming the improved seam.

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the first step in the looping of knit fabrics together in accordance with this invention and showing one form of a looping point with which the method may be carried out;

Fig. 2 is a similar view illustrating the fabrics after ravelling one fabric down to the course upon the looping points;

Fig. 3 is a similar view illustrating the movement of one fabric from the looping points onto the loops of the other fabric;

Fig. 4 is a similar view showing one fabric retained on the looping points and the other fabric on the loops of the first fabric;

Fig. 5 is a similar view showing the looping in the regular manner of the loops retained upon the looping points;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view of a welt or top for a lace stocking joined in the manner shown in Figs. 1 to 5 and is substantially a section on the line 6--6 of the stocking shown in Fig. 18;

Fig. 7 is a sectional view of a turned welt or top which is knit integral with the stocking leg and has its turned portion secured to the stocking leg in the manner sliawn in Figs. 1 to 5 and is substantially a section on the line 7-7 of the stocking shown in Fig. 19;

Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic view showing the first step in the looping of fabrics together and at the same time attaching the fabrics to a third fabric as in securing to the foot or leg of a lace stocking the fabric to which the toes and heels are knit;

Fig. 9 is a similar view showing two of the fabrics being removed from the looping points and placed on the loops of the other fabric;

Fig. 10 is a similar view showing two of the fabrics on the loops of the third fabric, the looping of the row of loops of the third fabric being completed;

Fig. 11 is a similar view showing the two knit fabrics secured together and attached to the lace 55 of the stocking foot, the knit fabrics being positioned for continuing the knitting of the toe or heel;

Fig. 12 is a similar view showing the opposite edges of the knit fabrics joined in the knitting of the toe or heel fabric and is substantially a section on any one of the lines 1212 of the stocking shown in Fig. 18;

Fig. 13 is a diagrammatic view showing the selvage course of a heel fabric on the looping pins, the first step in the uniting of a heel and sole in accordance with this invention;

Fig. 14 is a similar view showing both the heel and sole on the looping pins, the sole having been ravelled back to the loose course placed on the looping pins;

Fig. 15 is a similar view showing the heel fabric moved from the looping pins onto the loops of the sole fabric;

Fig. 16 is a similar view showing the looping of the loops of the sole fabric which remain on the pins completed;

Fig. 17 is a similar view showing the connection between the .heel and sole completed and is substantially a section on the line 17-17 of the stockings shown in Figs. 18 and 19; and

Figs. 18 and .19 are views showing types of stocking with which this invention may be used;

Fig. 18 showing a stocking in which the leg and instep are of lace and the remaining parts are of plain knit fabric; while Fig. 19 shows a stocking of plain knit fabric throughout.

In the drawings the invention is shown in connection with the seaming or joining of various parts of a stocking but it will be understood that the stocking is shown for the purpose of illustration only and that the invention is equally applicable to all knitted fabrics, the stockings shown being a convenient illustrationthereof. In applying the invention the loops of a course of a fabric portion are placed upon the points of a looping machine which may be one of the usual dial machines. For the purpose of convenience the drawings have been limited for the most part,

to showing the loops of a single wale of each fabric portion and a single point of the looping machine. As shown in Fig. 1 the fabric 1 is placed upon the points 2 of the looping machine, the points in this invention being provided at their end with enlargements or hooks 3 which serve to retain the loops upon the points and while a knob 3 of a particular shape has been illustrated it is to be understood that any shape of knob or hook which retains the loop upon the point is comprised within this invention.

The fabric portion 4 which is to be joined to the fabric portion 1 in accordance with this invention may be, as shown in Figure 1, a part of the fabric portion 1 as in the forming of welts or tops in stockings or it may be, as shown in Figures 8 to 10, a separate portion of fabric. In each case the loops of a'course of the second fabric portion are also placed upon the points 2 and the fabric 4 is ravelled back to the row or course of loops on the points 2, giving, as shown in Figure 3, a fabric portion 1 whichfiextends on both sides, that is, upwardly and downwardly from the row of points 2 and the fabric portion 4 which extends in one direction, that is, downwardly from the row of points 2. With the fabric portion 4 ravelled back to'the course of loops engaged on the points the fabric portion 4 is then drawn downwardly and held so as to engage the course of loops on the points 2 against the knobs or hooks 3, as shown in Figure 3, while the fabric portion 1 is drawn upwardly so as to hold the loops of the course of loops of this fabric on the points extending above the row of points and in position to permit the loops of this course to be moved over the knobs 3 off the points 2, thus placing the course of loops of the fabric portion 1 which was upon the points 2 upon the course of loops of the fabric portion 4 which is retained upon the row of points 2, as shown in Figure 4. The loops of the course of the fabric portion 4 retained upon the points 2 are then joined by a chain of loops by the looping needle 6 in the regular manner.

Where, as shown in Figures 1 to 6 the fabric portions 1 and 4.are portions of a welt or top which is joined to aleg or body of a stocking of lace of warp knit fabric, the lace fabric may be secured to the welt or top of the stocking in the manner shown in the patent to Van Arsdale & Dakin, No. 1,837,737, Dec. 22, 1931 and the edges of the welt may be joined to form a seam, as at 8, spaced from the junctionof the body of the stocking with the welt or top. In this arrangement the fabric portions 1 and 4 of the welt or top are placed upon the points 2 so that the seam at 8 is on the inner face of the stocking. Where the entire stocking is of a plain knit fabric, as in Figure '7, and the welt is turned and joined to the body of the stocking, the fabric will also be arranged so that the seam 8' comes to the inner face of the stocking.

The method of securing fabric portions together as described'above is applicable to other portions of the stocking, as joining parts of the foot at the toe and heel to the instep or leg portion of the stocking. In Figures 8 to 12 this method of securing toe and heel portions to the leg or instep is shown in connection with the lace fabric stocking, shown in Figure 18. In carrying out the method of this invention the fabric portion 10 is placed upon the points 2 of the looping machine. The fabric 12 of which the instep or leg of the stocking is formed is then placed upon the points 2 but as the loops of the fabric 12 are much larger than those of the fabric portion 10 a single loop of the fabric 12 may embrace a plurality of ,the points 2. A further fabric portion 14 is then placed on the points 2, it being noted that the fabric portions 10 and 14 when ravelled back to the courses of loops engaged on the points 2 extend in opposite directions from the points 2, fabric 10 extending upwardly and the fabric 14 extending downwardly. With the fabric portions ravelled back to the courses of loops on the points 2 the fabric portion 14 is then drawn downwardly and in engagement with the knobs 3 on the points 2 and the fabrics 10 and 12 are drawn upwardly so as to position their loops above the points 2 and in position to permit the fabrics 10 and 12 to be drawn over the knobs 3 of the points 2 and onto the course of loops of the fabric portion 14 which is retained upon the points 2. Various stages of this operation are shown in Figures 8, 9 and 10, in Figure 9 the fabric portions 10 and 12 being shown positioned on the loops of thefabric portion 14 while in Figure 10 the loops of the fabric portion 14 which were retained upon the points 2 have been looped together by a chain of loops formed bythe looping needle in the usual manner and the fabric portion 10 is folded over so that the free edges of the fabric portions 10 and 14 are aligned, as shown in Figure 11.

Loose loops at the free edges of the fabric portions 10 and 14 are transferred to a footing machine and the knitting of the foot continued, the fabric portion 16 knit by the footing machine uniting the loops at the free edges of the fabric portions 10 and 14. In this way a tube comprising the fabric portions 10 and 14 to which the fabric portion 12 is secured, is formed about the free edge of the fabric portion 12, thus providing a neat appearance along the seam which joins the knit portions 10 and 14 to the portion 12. It will be noted that the seam 11 joining fabric portions 10 and 14 is also enclosed within the tube formed by these fabric portions.

In Figures 13. to 17 the securing of heel tabs to soles in accordance with this invention is illustrated. In this case the loops of a selvage wale of a heel tab or fabric portion 20 are placed upon the points 2 and a course of loops of the sole portion 22 is also placed upon the points 2 and the fabric of the sole portion ravelled back to the course of loops upon the points 2, the wales of the heel portion 20 extending at right angles to the wales of the sole portion 22. The heel portion 20 is then removed from the points 2 onto the loops of the, sole portion 22 and the loops of the course of the sole portion 22 which is retained upon the points 2 are then joined by a chain of loops by the looping needle in the usual manner, forming a seam 24. The heel. portion is, upon removal from the points, unfolded as in Figure 17, placing the seam 24 on the inner face of the fabric of the stocking foot.

' What is claimed is:

1. In a method of uniting knitted fabric portions, the steps of inserting a row of loops of one fabric portion through a row of loops of another fabric portion and looping the inserted loops-on the far side of the second fabric portion.

2. In a method of uniting portions of knitted fabric the steps of placing a row of loops of each portion of fabric upon looping points, retaining the loops of one portion of fabric upon the points and drawing the other portion of fabric from the points onto the loops of the first portion of fabric retained on the points and looping the loops retained on the points.

3 In a method of uniting knitted fabric portions, the steps of placing a row of loops of each fabric portion upon looping points, ravelling a fabric portion to the row of loops-engaged on the points, retaining the loops of the ravelled fabric portion upon the points and drawing the other fabric portions to the rows of loops engaged on the points, retaining the loops of one of said ravelled fabric portions upon the points while drawing .the other fabric portions from the points onto the loops retained on the points, looping the loops retained on the points and joining the edges parallel to the loop seam in knitting an extension of the joined fabric portions.

5. In a method of uniting lace and plain knit fabric portions, the steps of placing a row of loops of each fabric portion upon looping points, ravelling the knitted fabric portions to the rows of loops engaged on the points, retaining the loops of one of said knitted fabric portions upon the points while drawing the lace and the other knitted fabric portions from the points onto the loops retained on the points and securing the loops on said points from withdrawal through the loops of the other fabric portions by loop stitches uniting the retained loops.

6. In a method of uniting fabric portions, the steps of inserting loops of one fabric portion through loops of another fabric portion and joining the projecting portions of the inserted loops.

7. A joint for knit fabrics consists of a row of loops of a first fabric portion extending through a row of loops of a second fabric portion and loop stitches lying on the one side of the second fabric portion joining the loops of the first fabric portion.

JOHN E. DAKIN. WALTER L. BOLENS. 

